Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Ryder provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik. The two leaders discussed the important achievements of the U.S.-ROK Alliance over the past year and agreed that the Alliance is continuing to expand the scale and scope of its cooperation.
The two officials discussed a broad range of defense issues, including efforts by the United States and the ROK to maintain a strong combined defense posture to deter and respond to DPRK nuclear and missile threats. Both officials emphasized the importance of expanding regional cooperation between the United States and the ROK, including U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral security cooperation.
The Secretary reaffirmed the ironclad U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the defense of the ROK, and the two leaders agreed to communicate frequently on key security issues. Additionally, Secretary Austin shared with Minister Shin that he looks forward to meeting in person in Seoul for the upcoming 55th Security Consultative Meeting and the ROK-UN Command Member States Defense Ministerial Meeting in November.